{"title":"Run to boost your gut microbiome that can help fight cancer.","authors":"Shuo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exercise is beneficial to physical health, and it also helps to promote efficacy following immunotherapy. In a recent paper published in Cell, Phelps et al. identified that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in how exercise improves checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in melanoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1464-1465"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Magdalena Kujawska, David Seki, Lisa Chalklen, Jennifer Malsom, Raymond Kiu, Sara Goatcher, Ioulios Christoforou, Suparna Mitra, Lucy Crouch, Lindsay J Hall
{"title":"Host-specific microbiome and genomic signatures in Bifidobacterium reveal co-evolutionary and functional adaptations across diverse animal hosts.","authors":"Magdalena Kujawska, David Seki, Lisa Chalklen, Jennifer Malsom, Raymond Kiu, Sara Goatcher, Ioulios Christoforou, Suparna Mitra, Lucy Crouch, Lindsay J Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animals harbor divergent microbiota, including various Bifidobacterium species, yet their evolutionary relationships and functional adaptations remain understudied. Using samples from insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals, we integrated taxonomic, genomic, and predicted functional annotations to uncover how Bifidobacterium adapts to host-specific environments. Host phylogeny is a major determinant of gut microbial composition. Distinct microbiota in mammalian and avian hosts reflect evolutionary adaptations to dietary niches, such as carnivory, and ecological pressures. At a strain-resolved level, Bifidobacterium and their hosts exhibit strong co-phylogenetic associations, driven by vertical transmission and dietary selection. Functional analyses highlight striking host-specific adaptations in Bifidobacterium, particularly in carbohydrate metabolism and oxidative stress responses. In mammals, Bifidobacterium strains are enriched in glycoside hydrolases tailored to complex carbohydrate-rich diets, including multi-domain GH13_28 α-amylases associated with degradation of resistant starch. Together, these findings deepen our understanding of host-microbe co-evolution and the critical role of microbiota in shaping animal health and adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1502-1517.e13"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global currents, microbial footprints.","authors":"Jessika Füssel, Guillem Salazar, Lucas Paoli","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Marine microbial communities influence global biogeochemical cycles. In a recent Science issue, Kolody et al. integrated oceanographic measurements with high-resolution molecular sampling to show that hydrographic features shape the microbial functional landscape. Their findings highlight how physical ocean structure underpins microbial biogeography and its role in Earth system processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1461-1463"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cell host & microbePub Date : 2025-09-10Epub Date: 2025-08-18DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2025.05.020
Shally R Margolis, Alexander J Meeske
{"title":"Crosstalk between three CRISPR-Cas types enables primed type VI-A adaptation in Listeria seeligeri.","authors":"Shally R Margolis, Alexander J Meeske","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.05.020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.05.020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CRISPR-Cas systems confer adaptive immunity to their prokaryotic hosts through the process of adaptation, where sequences are captured from foreign nucleic acids and integrated as spacers in the CRISPR array, thereby enabling crRNA-guided interference against new threats. While the Cas1-2 integrase is critical for adaptation, it is absent from many CRISPR-Cas loci, rendering the mechanism of spacer acquisition unclear for these systems. In this study, we show that the RNA-targeting type VI-A CRISPR system of Listeria seeligeri acquires spacers from DNA substrates through the action of a promiscuous Cas1-2 integrase encoded by a co-occurring type II-C system, in a transcription-independent manner. We further demonstrate that the type II-C integration complex is strongly stimulated by preexisting spacers in a third CRISPR system (type I-B), which imperfectly match phage targets and prime type VI-A adaptation. Altogether, our results reveal an unprecedented degree of communication among CRISPR-Cas loci encoded by a single organism.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":" ","pages":"1550-1560.e4"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12370272/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144884453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cell host & microbePub Date : 2025-09-10Epub Date: 2025-08-18DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.021
Leah M Smith, Peter C Fineran
{"title":"Type I CRISPR-Cas immunity primes type III spacer acquisition.","authors":"Leah M Smith, Peter C Fineran","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CRISPR-Cas systems are diverse, with microbes harboring multiple classes and subtypes. Type I DNA-targeting and type III RNA-targeting systems often co-occur, but their interactions remain unclear. Prodigiosinella has three CRISPR-Cas systems (I-E, I-F, and III-A) with independent adaptation machinery. Type III systems can trigger cell death, yet it is unknown how functional spacers are acquired. We found that type I interference generates substrates acquired by the type III adaptation machinery. Despite reducing type I interference efficiency, type III contributed to plasmid loss and provided an advantage when DNA-targeting systems failed. Type I priming influenced type III spacer length and source, with more spacers acquired near the type I target site. Invader DNA clearance by type I interference enabled retention of cytotoxic type III spacers that would otherwise be lost. This study reveals how RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems function as a backup in multi-system hosts, bolstering population-level protection.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":" ","pages":"1561-1576.e6"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144884454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gut bacteria help the brain with an oil change.","authors":"T Jaymie Connerly, Brittany D Needham","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this issue, Huang et al. reveal a link between gut bacteria and recovery from brain damage. In a bacteria-dependent manner, a fatty acid \"oil\" improves microglial function through increased peroxisomes. This insight into microglia and their response to gut signals offers targets to explore brain health via gut modulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1466-1467"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"All systems go: CRISPR crosstalk for enhanced immunity.","authors":"Kalani Gast, Rodolphe Barrangou","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, companion manuscripts from Margolis & Meeske<sup>1</sup> and Smith & Fineran<sup>2</sup> demonstrate that CRISPR-Cas systems have an unprecedented level of cooperative crosstalk between different subtypes, which enables primed spacer acquisition. These studies illustrate how CRISPR-Cas systems cooperate to enhance adaptive immunity in bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1470-1472"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zelei Miao, Shijia Hu, Ping Wu, Yuwei Lai, Leo Tianlai Chen, Mingxi Huang, Ke Zhang, Hang He, Fengzhe Xu, Fan Li, Jiaying Yuan, Yayi Hu, Gang Liu, Kailang Huang, Menglei Shuai, Meng Ye, Xinxiu Liang, Congmei Xiao, Wanglong Gou, Ruiqi Shi, Xinyu Wang, Zengliang Jiang, Mei-Qi Shi, Ying-Ying Wu, Xu-Hong Wang, Sha Lu, Yuanqing Fu, Wensheng Hu, Xiu Qiu, An Pan, Xiong-Fei Pan, Ju-Sheng Zheng
{"title":"Maternal gut microbiome during early pregnancy predicts preterm birth.","authors":"Zelei Miao, Shijia Hu, Ping Wu, Yuwei Lai, Leo Tianlai Chen, Mingxi Huang, Ke Zhang, Hang He, Fengzhe Xu, Fan Li, Jiaying Yuan, Yayi Hu, Gang Liu, Kailang Huang, Menglei Shuai, Meng Ye, Xinxiu Liang, Congmei Xiao, Wanglong Gou, Ruiqi Shi, Xinyu Wang, Zengliang Jiang, Mei-Qi Shi, Ying-Ying Wu, Xu-Hong Wang, Sha Lu, Yuanqing Fu, Wensheng Hu, Xiu Qiu, An Pan, Xiong-Fei Pan, Ju-Sheng Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Preterm birth, the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity, lacks robust biomarkers for early risk prediction. Here, we characterized the maternal gut microbiome in 5,313 Chinese pregnant women from two independent cohorts and identified eleven genera and one species associated with preterm birth during early pregnancy. We demonstrated that microbial risk scores (MRSs), generated from selected microbial genera or species, could effectively segregate pregnant women with shorter gestational duration and at higher preterm birth risk. The MRS showed interaction with host polygenic susceptibility to amplify preterm birth risk. Among bacteria comprising the MRS, Clostridium innocuum exhibited the most promising replicable microbial feature for preterm birth. The C. innocuum exhibited 17β-estradiol-degrading activity, and the estradiol-degrading gene k141_29441_57, validated through functional prediction and heterologous expression in E. coli, was enriched in women with preterm birth. These findings open new avenues for microbiome-targeted predictive and therapeutic strategies to mitigate adverse pregnancy outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1623-1639.e8"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When predators meet the matrix: Natural resistance via amyloid fibers.","authors":"Yoann G Santin","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.07.023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How do bacteria protect themselves against predators? In a recent issue of Nature, Ledvina et al. reveal curli fibers as a genetically encoded defense against Bdellovibrio predation in wild E. coli strains. Their findings highlight the power of exploring natural diversity to uncover hidden microbial defense strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1459-1461"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microbial matchmakers: Bifidobacterium evolution across animal hosts.","authors":"Phillip B Pope, Gene W Tyson","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Among beneficial microbes, bifidobacteria have strong associations with health. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Kujawska et al. reveal how Bifidobacterium species have co-evolved within a range of animal hosts, with their diversity and host-specific metabolic adaptations shaped by evolutionary history, diet, and vertical transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":93926,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"33 9","pages":"1468-1470"},"PeriodicalIF":18.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}